The Fighting Rose
by SuperFreak85
Summary: [the Black Donnellys] this story takes place after the mess with Dokey and Nicky cools down a bit. Makenzie has known the Donnellys since she was a baby and now finds herself stuck between two brothers. when trouble comes knocking again will she stay?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with the Black Donnellys. The only thing I own is Makenzie.

Note: the narrator is in bold and it will switch from Makenzie to Joey so you get different aspects of the story. Makenzie is in Italic Bold and Joey will be in regular bold. This story takes place after the mess with Dokey and Nicky cools down a bit.

_**Okay I don't really know were to start this because I never was really a good story teller, Joey Ice Cream is the master, but I'll give it a try. My name is Makenzie Rose, but everyone just calls me Mac. I moved into the neighborhood called the Hell's kitchen when I was three. My mom had died in a car accident and my dad was so full of grief that he just up and moved us. We moved into this shitty little apartment building because it was the only thing that my dad could afford at the time. We moved into the apartment next to a sweet Irish family called the Donnellys. Yeah, the Donnellys. I know you know them, hell everyone knows those guys. Anyways, when my father got a job Mrs. Donnelly started babysitting me and that's when I met those boys. I was with them everyday after that. I was close with them and later Jenny and Joey. Everyone talks about how Jenny and Tommy were attached at the hip, that's how I was with Kevin. See me and him are the same age and we just have always been close I guess. Mrs. Donnelly always likes to remind me that the first word out of my mouth was 'Kev', but I don't remember any of it. They are my friends, my family and I would do anything for any of them and I always will. It gets me in trouble, but hell trouble is only temporary. And being in trouble with a Donnelly is always more bearable than being alone... and in trouble.**_

Makenzie stood beside the makeshift home plate out in the middle of the street. She adjusted the black baseball cap she had on and got herself ready for the first pitch. It was hot out and she had been playing ball for about an hour and she was starting to get tired and impatient. She could feel sweat running down the back of her neck, but was thankful for a light breeze that went by that cooled her down for a moment.

"Alright no hitter guys, everyone move in," Jimmy exclaimed as he moved his arms, motioning the fielders to move in. Makenzie stood straight up in frustration, gripping the bat tighter so she wouldn't throw the bat in the eldest Donnellys direction.

"Would you just pitch the fucking ball Jimmy. You don't have to give me shit every time im up," Makenzie said, glaring at him.

"Come on toots, lets see what you got," he said, riling her up more.

"Jimmy don't fucking call me toots again or you'll regret it," Makenzie threatened as she got ready again.

"Whatever you say toots."

"Come on Mac he's just trying to get to you," Tommy said from behind the plate.

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you guys done chatting?" Jimmy asked with a laugh.

"Jimmy shut your mouth and pitch the damn ball." Tommy said, before he gave Makenzie a smile. Jimmy pitched the ball and makenzie connected with it and hit it right back into Jimmy's package. Jimmy doubled over as Makenzie made her way to first place with a huge smile on her face.

"Your up Sean," Makenzie yelled from first base. There was no movement from his place on the stoop so she yelled at him again.

"Sean unlock you lips from the flavor of the week and get your ass up and bat," She yelled again. The girl looked offended, but Sean got up and headed for the plate. She wiped some of the sweat off of her neck with her hand and wiped it onto her black shorts.

"How much do you want to bet that Jimmy is going to kill me after this," Makenzie said to Kevin, who was playing first base. A smile came over his face as he looked over at her. Hie curly hair was sticking down on his head and his neck was red with heat rash.

"I bet you a hundred dollars that he will get you back before you make it to second base," Kevin said.

"Bet you two hundred that he will wait until we get back to the Firecracker," Makenzie responded.

"Deal," Kevin agreed before he looked over at Jimmy. Jimmy was looking over at Makenzie, but she just pretended that she didn't see him giving her the most evil look he had in a long time. Makenzie took off for the base as soon as Sean had hit the ball. Jimmy quickly grabbed it and ran as fast as he could towards Makenzie. He rammed into her, making both of them fall down on the hot asphalt.

"What the hell Jimmy," Makenzie said as she pushed him off of her. She looked down at her arm and a long raspberry was already forming and blood was trickling down one of her legs.

"It was just a little love tap," he said picking himself off of the ground and not helping her. Jimmy was shoved from behind and almost fell forward.

"What's your problem Jimmy?" Tommy said with an angry look on his face.

"She hit me in the fucking balls Tommy," Jimmy retorted, pushing his brother back. Kevin stepped over to Makenzie and helped her off of the ground. Tommy and Jimmy were starting to argue, but Makenzie just interrupted them.

"You know what guys I'm done for the day. I'll catch you guys later," she said as she started to walk off.

"Come on Mac don't leave because Jimmy's an asshole," Sean yelled after her. She just put up her hand and kept walking with a slight limp. She heard footsteps coming up behind her, but she didn't stop. She was pissed and she wanted to rip Jimmy Donnelly's head off, but that would have to wait.

"Do you want me to walk with you," Tommy asked as he came jogging up beside her. She looked over at him and smile, her brown eyes were showing how pissed she was. Makenzie could never keep anything from Tommy, except for how she felt about him, she could hide that very well.

"No that's okay Tommy go finish the game I'll catch you guys at the Firecracker later okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure," She said. He stood there watching her for a minute before she started walking away again. Tommy watched her until she was around the corner.

**_See the thing was that I loved all the brothers differently. Sean was like a baby brother to me, the most harmless of all of them. He tried his charm on me once or twice, but it never_ _worked._ _I just can't see him in any other way than that little kid that used to follow me around all the time asking me millions of questions about things that didn't matter. Kevin was and is my best friend to this day. For a minute I thought maybe I liked the guy, but when I kissed him once to make sure we both freaked. We never talk about that day, we were fourteen and it was awkward. Now when it gets to Tommy and Jimmy, that's when it starts to get complicated. See the thing is that I have gone back and forth from liking Jimmy and Tommy since I was probably eleven. The thing is that Tommy was so rapped up in his feelings for Jenny that he never even noticed how I felt about him, which was probably a good thing. But things changed when Jenny was finally out of the picture. She had left after the whole debacle with Dokey and Nicky cooled down. She had the chance to leave and she did, taking her father with her. None of us know where she went, but we all miss her. Okay, but back to Tommy. I can't help but like the guy, I mean who doesn't like him. Then there is Jimmy. I don't really know what to say about him except that I find myself crazy about him at times. We fight like crazy, but I fight with all of them. It's a constant back and forth with them, I just couldn't seem to make up my damn mind. Though I never knew that at one point that I would have to make up my mind between the two. See those boys are my weakness, like superman and kryptonite, like I said before I would do anything for any of them and I know that they would do anything for me._**

Makenzie slammed the door shut to her apartment and quickly sat down on her old blue couch. She was fuming with anger. She heard a knock at her door and got up quickly her wounded leg started to buckle. Her sock was soaked with blood, making the sock stiffen as the blood dried. She looked through the peephole and sawJimmy standing outside her door. She could tell that he was bouncing up and down on one of his feet and looking up and down the hallway as he waited impatiently for her to open the door. He was about to knock again when she threw the door open and glared at him.

"You have a lot of nerve bringing you gimp ass over here Jimmy," She said angrily.

"You started it, I just finished it," He retorted hotly as he walked past her and into her apartment. She shut the door behind him and followed Jimmy into her kitchen. She pulled herself up and sat on the kitchen counter as Jimmy got two beers out of the refrigerator. He popped the top off of both of them and threw them into her sink , then handed one to Makenzie. She snatched it away and took a big swig.

"So what exactly are you doing here Jimmy, I know the game wasn't over yet when you left," Makenzie said, eyeing him as she took another drink from her beer.

"Just checking on you, making sure you were okay."

"I'm a big girl Jimmy and have been for awhile now. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah it looks that way," he huffed pointing down to her bleeding leg.

"I just got here and then your ass was at the door." Jimmy just shook his head at her. He spotted a red dish towel in the sink next to the bottle caps and grabbed it. He ran it under the sink and started for her leg.

"What are you doing?" Makenzie exclaimed, smacking his hand away.

"I was cleaning it up."

"With a dirty dish towel. What you want to give me some type of infection?"

"Look I'm just trying to help." He said impatiently. Makenzie opened a drawer and pulled out a fresh dish rang and handed it to him.

"Here," she said. He ripped it from her hand and threw the dirty one back in the sink as he got the new one wet.

"Since when have you been the one to clean up the wounds? Tommy's usually the care giver." Makenzie asked looking down at him. Jimmy was sitting in a chair in front of her, gently rubbing some of the dried blood away from her leg. He had his free hand wrapped around her calf so she couldn't move it. His touch was cool from the beer bottle and firm. Makenzie felt heat rush up her neck, but took a quick breath to try and calm herself.

"Does Tommy always lick you wounds for you?" Jimmy asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Mostly, but not always." Jimmy smiled. When he got to her knee she winched a bit and tried to pull back her leg, but his grip just grew firmer. He looked up at her, but she was intently watching his hand work away at the bool on her knee. She looked so fragile and innocent at the moment. Her face was soft and content, she could of passed for a girly girl at the moment, but Jimmy knew better and she still had that ratty baseball cap on her head covering her deep red hair. He had always liked her hair, thought it was the prettiest color red he had ever seen.

"Is that a rock!" Makenzie said, sounding alarmed. Jimmy looked back down at her knee and there was a small piece of asphalt imbedded into her knee. He picked at it quickly and it fell out.

"Ow, you fucker that hurt."

"You're a much bigger baby than I ever took you for. I don't know if I should let you hang out anymore. Your to soft, I don't think you could survive being around us," Jimmy joked.

"Come on you know I could kick Kevin's ass any day, probably Sean's too. I don't see you threatening to kick them out."

"Well that's because there my brothers."

"Aren't you the one that says I'm the fifth Donnelly. That was you wasn't it?" She said arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah smart ass. There all better now quit crying about it."

"So how are the jewels?" Makenzie asked as she hopped off of the counter.

"I think I'll live. Your lucky I like you Mac."

"Your probably right."

"I know I'm right." She laughed at him and he threw her a look. They stood there for a minute just looking at each other. Makenzie wasn't mad at him anymore, the longest she had ever been mad at him was probably and hour and that was it.

_**I forgive the guy whenever he does something, no matter how bad it is, or how much trouble it gets the rest of us in. I could never stay mad at Jimmy Donnelly, never.**_

There was a shuffle at the front door before it opened. Joey Ice Cream came stumbling in, trying to juggle Makenzie's baseball gear she had left and a case of beer that he had probably stolen.

"Oh hey Jimmy," Joey said as he shut the door with his foot.

"Hey Joey," Jimmy said shoving his hands into his jean pockets. There was a loud bang at the door before they all heard "Hey Joey open the fucking door!" Joey set the stuff down and opened the door back up and Kevin walked in. He had two cases of some cheap beer in his arms.

"So uh were did you guys get the beer?" Makenzie asked the two. They exchanged glances real quick before Kevin said, "They were just handing them out behind the liquor store."

"Leave the lying to Joey next time Kev," Makenzie said, shaking her head at him. He never was a really good liar.

"Okay fine we stole them off the back of a truck."

"Why the hell did you bring them here, why didn't you take them to the bar?" Jimmy inquired.

"We were going to Jimmy..." Joey started.

"Sure you were Joey," Jimmy said cutting him off, "Grab the beer and lets go Kevin."

"But I just got here." Jimmy just gave him a look and Kevin picked up the beer that he had just carried in.

"You owe me two hundred," Kevin said to Makenzie.

"I'll just take it out of the money you owe me Kev."

"Okay," He said before he walked out the door. There was silence before Joey opened his mouth.

"So uh, what was going on with you and Jimmy?"

"Shut up Joey," Makenzie said before she headed for her room.

_**See there is a small bit of information I forgot to mention. Joey Ice Cream is my cousin, twice removed or some shit like that. His mother and him were my fathers last living relatives, that's why we moved out here and that is why Joey and I live together. Actually, he lives with me. I let him after his mother kicked him out for his 'wicked ways'. Im nice like that.**_

Authors note: Please review. I wish I could say that it doesn't really matter, but it does.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with the Black Donnellys. The only thing I own is Makenzie.

**Note:** the narrator is in bold and it will switch from Makenzie to Joey so you get different aspects of the story. Makenzie is in Italic Bold and Joey will be in regular bold. This story takes place after the mess with Dokey and Nicky cools down a bit.

**See the thing about Mac is that she is probably the most blind person when it comes to seeing others people's feelings about her, I happen to be very good at it. I mean I love my cousin, but sometimes she can be a little slow. She wasn't the only slow one around though. What Mac didn't know was that when Jimmy had gone over to her apartment to check on her that he finally realized his feeling for her. I had know he liked her for a long time, I mean hell a lot of people figured it. But the thing was that her situation with the Donnellys was about to get a whole lot more confusing, especially between a certain two**.

It was about ten o'clock before Makenzie had finally made it over to the Firecracker. When she entered the bar she was blasted with the sound of the jukebox playing some old song and the boys arguing over a game of pool. Joey was behind the bar, like he was a lot recently, and Jimmy and Sean were playing pool. She saw Tommy sitting at the end of the bar, sipping lightly at his beer while Kevin was telling him his new betting strategy.

"Hey Tommy," Makenzie said as she sat down on the stool beside him. Joey slid a beer in her direction and she took a swift swig. Heffienweizen, her favorite.

"Hey Mac, how you healing up?" Tommy asked with a slight smile.

"Fine, your brother didn't do that bad of a job cleaning me up."

"What you got a new man cleaning you up now," Tommy joked.

"You might want to watch yourself Tommy, you just might get replaced."

"What your not going to say hi to me," Kevin said, leaning out from behind Tommy.

"Hey Kev," Makenzie said with a smile. Kevin smiled back at her and then leaned over the bar and hit Joey lightly on the chest.

"Let's see if these guys want to play doubles," Kevin said as he got up from the stool.

"Don't go betting money you don't have Kevin," Tommy said as the two walked towards Sean and Jimmy. Makenzie just laughed.

Tommy was always looking out for his brothers, even if it was from each other every now and then. Makenzie took another sip from her beer, savoring the taste in her mouth. Most girls liked sweet cocktails and wine coolers, but Makenzie loved beer. She loved all beer and she also loved tequila, which got her in trouble more often than not. Tommy was watching Makenzie, her dark red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, like it was most of the time, and her brown eyes were scaning the hard alcohol that was lined across the wall. He felt so much closer to her than he had ever felt in the past, he didn't know why for sure, but he was starting to get some ideas. She was quickly downing her beer and Tommy heard Jimmy yell, "Take it easy Mac, you can't hold you liquor!" Tommy just laughed. Mackenzie could hold her liquor with the best of them. Hell, Tommy had seen her drink Kevin under the table a few times. She gave Jimmy the bird as she set the empty glass back on the bartop. Makenzie ran the back of her hand over her mouth to wipe up any beer that had collected on her lips. Her lips were a natural dark shade of pink making so she never had to wear lipstick. Tommy liked her lips, especially the pouty bottom lip.

"What do I got something," Makenzie asked, wiping at her lips again. Tommy's eyes darted up and he quickly said, "No!" Makenzie looked startled.

"Good because I was starting to wonder if I had something growing there."

"No your good," Tommy breathed. Makenzie's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you okay Tommy?" She asked.

"No I'm fine."

"Good because I was about to worry. You were looking a little pale for a minute."

"Really? Well maybe I should step outside for a sec."

"Okay, do you want me to keep you company?" Makenzie asked, eyeing him.

"No, that's okay." Tommy finished. Makenzie just gave him a nod as he walked outside. The hot night air hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind out of him. He started to pace back and forth as he tried to gather his thoughts. He didn't know what was going on with him. Makenzie's lips never looked that alluring before.

**I know exactly what was going on with him. He was finally feeling it, his attraction for Mac. It only made sense really that he would end up feeling like that about her. She was the one that was there for him through all the shit he went through with Jenny at the end of their strange relationship, especially after she left him. I mean Jenny left all of us, but it hurt Tommy the most. There were many nights were Makenzie would stay up all night listening to him talk about Jenny and how sad he was about the whole thing. And think about how that all made Mac feel at the time, because at that time she was crazy about Tommy. That girl can never make up her mind. Jimmy had liked her all along, he just never realized it. As for Tommy, well this was a new revelation... well it wasn't that new.**

Tommy wiped a hand over his face and let out a sigh. Life was never easy for the Donnelly's, never. The door to the bar opened and he whipped his head around to come face to face with a pair of friendly brown eyes.

"You've been out here a long time Tommy, are you sure your okay?" She was going to drive him crazy if she kept asking him that. His dark hair was starting to stick to his forehead and the back of his neck from the sweat that started to form.

"Yeah Mac I'm fine," Tommy reassured her again. She wasn't convinced, but she wouldn't push him any further. Makenzie caught a light come on in an abandoned building that was behind Tommy. It had been abandoned for a few years and there was two shiny black cars out front. With the light on one could see into the building clearly. Nicky Cottero was in the building and he wasn't alone.

"Who the..." Makenzie started when she saw an unidentified man come into the room. He definitely wasn't one of the Italian's, there would be no point for them to meet in an abandoned building.

"What?" Tommy asked as he turned around to look at what Makenzie was looking at.

"Who the hell is that?" Tommy asked no one in particular. The other man was big, probably about 6'4". He was wearing a dark suit and his hair was slicked back, he looked Russian. But the last any of them knew, there were no Russians in town. Nicky and the man shook hands before they started heading, for what Tommy could guess, an exit.

"Lets got back inside," Tommy said, grabbing Makenzie's arm. She obliged, letting Tommy pull her back into the Firecracker.

"What was Nicky doing?" Makenzie asked quietly. She didn't want to alert the others to the fact that Nicky was in the neighborhood.

"I don't know, but don't say anything until I find some stuff out okay."

"Sure Tommy."

"You guys better not have been kissing out there," Jimmy said, trying to sound like he was giving the two a hard time. They didn't respond, all Makenzie could do was give a fake smile which Kevin and Jimmy saw right through.

**See at the time none of us knew that something big was happening in that abandoned building that night. We didn't know that Nicky was making a deal with some really shady Russians that were deciding to take up residence in Hell's Kitchen. The Italian's were planning something and those Russians were involved. That meeting brought a whole new problem into Hell's Kitchen and personal hell for the Donnelly's. All that stuff that happened with Dokey and Nicky looked like amateur hour next to what was brought down on the Donnelly's, Makenzie and me after that night. **

**Authors note**: well what do you think? Any suggestions?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with the Black Donnellys. The only thing I own is Makenzie.

**Note:** the narrator is in bold and it will switch from Makenzie to Joey so you get different aspects of the story. Makenzie is in Italic Bold and Joey will be in regular bold. This story takes place after the mess with Dokey and Nicky cools down a bit.

Makenzie sat on her old ratty couch looking at the blank screen of her television. She couldn't sleep so she just came out to watch a little television, but only paid programming was on at four in the morning. Her head fell back on the couch as she let out a sigh. She couldn't stop thinking about Nicky with that guy in the abandoned house earlier that night. It looked extremely suspicious and she was afraid Tommy would try to deal with it by himself. She rubbed her forehead in frustration before she reached over for her cell phone. It was nothing special, it was the cheapest one she could find. She peered down at the small screen, the blue luminescent lighting shining back on her face. It read 4:25am. A snore came from Joey's room down the hall. She felt her phone vibrate and she looked down at the screen. A picture of Jimmy making a funny face flashed on the screen. She loved that picture of him, it was the first picture she had taken with her phone. He hadn't wanted his picture taken, but gave in after she pleaded with him.

_**I could get Jimmy to do anything for me. He would try to put up a fight sometimes, but he always gave in. Only one Donnelly folded faster than Jimmy when it came to me and that was Tommy, but Tommy can't say no to anybody**_.

She pressed the small button with the green button on it and didn't say anything; she didn't have to.

"I knew you would be awake," Jimmy said on the other end of the line. He sounded tired, but determined to talk with her.

"Your lucky I was awake or I might have had to kick you ass when saw you next."

"Your always awake Mac."

"Sleeping just doesn't come easy for me." she had this nervous feeling in her gut on why he had called her, but he never brought it up. She knew that Jimmy and Kevin had caught onto her fake smile back at the bar, and she was glad that Jimmy wasn't bringing it up. Makenzie knew if Jimmy found about what she saw that night that Jimmy would only get angry and suspicious, eventually making the whole situation worse.

Jimmy sat on a bar stool holding the phone tightly against his ear. He had been trying to call Makenzie for the last few hour, but every time he went to he would make up some excuse not to call her. They all knew she had a hard time sleeping so more than likely she would be up when he finally called. He liked the sound of her voice, he smiled when she talked about kicking his ass if he had actually woken her up. He wanted to ask her so bad if Tommy had kissed her when she went outside to check on him. He remembered feeling that tightness in his chest after he saw them walk back in the bar together, Tommy's hand on Makenzie's arm. Jimmy ran a hand through his light brown hair and sighed.

"What's wrong Jimmy?" Makenzie asked him. He could imagine her on that old couch in her pajamas, her head resting on it and her brown eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me nothing when I know it's something. Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't catch you in a lie Jimmy, now..."

"Did you kiss Tommy?"

"What?" Makenzie asked, sounding perplexed.

"Did he kiss you?" Jimmy asked again, a little jealousy seeping into his tone.

_**I had no clue why he was asking me that. It seemed so out of left field. I was so worried about him finding out about the building that my brain was not ready when he asked me that. Jimmy had actually sounded jealous and in all honesty I felt a swell in my chest, like I was excited to come across this discovery. I mean Jimmy Donnelly jealous over the 'maybe' kiss with his younger brother. I was actually starting to make a romantic dent in the lives of the Donnellys. I was actually breaking away from being one the boys and was I ever excited when I finally realized it.**_

"No I didn't kiss Tommy."

"Go..okay then" Jimmy said catching himself. There was no way in hell he wanted her to find out anything about these feelings he had about her. Hell, he wasn't even clear about them yet.

"Okay well was that why you called?"

"Yeah... Goodnight Mac," Jimmy said quietly.

"Night Jimmy," Makenzie said then flipped the phone shut. She felt a wave of fatigue come over her and her heavy eyelids finally shut over her tired eyes.

She sat behind the small desk, tapping her pen to a rhythm of the song she had in her head. The air conditioning had gone out in the small shop and Makenzie was starting to sweat profusely. She hated the summer, especially this one, it was the hottest summer she ever had in the Kitchen. It really felt like hell recently. She hated her job, but she had to have one. Makenzie worked at a small record store that only got enough customers to stay open. The bell over the door chimed as someone walked into the shop. She looked up and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw who it was. She really wasn't happy to see him, he scared the shit out of her. Nicky's smile grew when he saw her behind the counter.

"Hey Mac," He said as he leaned up against the counter. He watched as she pushed her seat farther back from him. His dark brown eyes were shining with happiness at her discomfort. "It's been a long time," He finished, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Not long enough," Makenzie said, shifting in her chair uncomfortably. She really hated being under his gaze, it always made her feel so naked. He let out a laugh.

"What do you want Nicky? We have a few Sinatra cd's in if your interested."

"Not a Sinatra fan. So when are you going to go out with me?"

"Never Nicky. Besides don't you have that stripper girlfriend that you were living with?"

"Nah I had to get rid of her."

"Well I'm sorry to hear it Nicky," Makenzie said. Her eyes flashed towards the door to see if by chance anyone she knew just happened to walk by. She was praying that someone would come.

"I'm not. So did you have a nice chat with Tommy last night?" Makenzie froze. He must of saw them.

"Every time I talk to him," Makenzie said, trying to sound nonchalant about the situation.

"It would be wise if you and Tommy kept your mouths shut about what you saw last night. I don't want anything to happen to you okay," Nicky said as he cupped her face in one of his hands. He looked at her as she shook her head and then he left. Makenzie let out a huge breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

_**Let me explain something real quick to you. When I was about seventeen is when I met Nicky for the first time. My dad got in some trouble with the Italian's over some gambling and he owed a lot of money that he would of never been able to pay. So my dad ended up having to do some 'work' for the Italians, sadly making Nicky a constant asshole in my life. He acquired a liking for me, but I always refused him and his stupid comments. The Donnellys knew about him and how he was about me which only made them hate him more. When my father died a year ago I thought I was finally going to be rid of Nicky Cottero, but of course it was just another thing I was wrong about.**_

The small doorbell chimed again and Makenzie's head snapped towards the door, afraid that it was Nicky again. She was relieved to see it was Kevin walking in. He had a mischievous look planted on his face.

"What?" Makenzie asked. She knew that he was up to no good when he had that look on his face.

"I got a hot tip for the track today," He said, sitting himself down on the counter.

"You always say that Kevin and guess what? It's never a very good tip."

"This time it's different I know it is, I'm going to win today Mac and I want you to go with me so I have someone to witness it," Kevin said with a smile. Makenzie raised an eyebrow at him, skepticism clearly written all over her face.

"Why don't you take Joey with you, he likes to gamble. He actually one once, unlike some other guy I know." Kevin gave her a wounded look.

"Joey's watching the bar for Jimmy while he takes care of some business."

"Business, huh. What about Tommy or Sean?"

"Sean went with Jimmy and Tommy was busy to. Come on we haven't done anything in a while. I miss my best friend... Please," Kevin pleaded. Makenzie crumbled. She looked at the clock, it wouldn't hurt if she got off an hour early and it wasn't like they were busy anyway; Plus she could use the distraction to get her mind off her unpleasant visit from Nicky.

"Mr. McKaren I got to leave an hour early okay!" Makenzie shouted towards the back room. She heard a grunt from the storekeeper. He was about ninety so if Nicky tried anything he would have been no help at all, he probably would of just made the situation worse. Makenzie grabbed her small black purse and headed out the door.

"This better be a better tip than last time Kev," She said over he shoulder.

"It is. Would you just trust me."

"I trust you Kev... just not with my money," Makenzie said with a smile that only frustrated Kevin more than the actual comment.

"Smart ass," Kevin said walking a little ahead of her. Makenzie just shook her head at him, she could get him riled up so easily. When the two headed back to the Firecracker Kevin was down two hundred dollars and Makenzie was up four hundred.

"You know Kevin maybe you should go with your gut instinct, because look what your gut won me," Makenzie said with a smile. She pulled the four hundred dollars out and waved it around. When Kevin rolled his eyes in frustration Makenzie stuffed the money back into the front pocket of her jeans.

When Makenzie opened the door she was surprised to see a hand full of customers inside. Sean was behind the bar serving drinks and Tommy was nowhere to be found. She followed Kevin over to the end of the bar and took a seat on the empty barstool beside him. Kevin had a pout on his face when he looked over at Makenzie.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked as she waved Sean over.

"I should have listened to my gut," He said quietly.

"Is that what your pouting about? Here," Makenzie said reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her winnings and threw two hundred dollars on the counter next to Kevin, "it was your gut that won me that money in the first place."

"I cant take..."

"Take it Kevin, half of it is rightfully yours and I'm sure you could use it to pay off some debt you have with someone besides me." His hand slid out and her took the money reluctantly. He felt bad, but it only lasted for a minute. If Makenzie was offering him money, who was he to refuse. Makenzie looked at Sean as he stopped in front of her, some of his blonde hair falling in his face. He gave her a warm smile and she smiled back.

_**You see Sean is like the little brother that I never had. I love the kid to death and I would do anything for him (I think I said that before). He was so different from his brothers and that was one of the reasons I liked him so much. Sean was the baby of the group and it radiated off of him, he always had a innocence to him, until last year, and I loved that about him. He wasn't a druggie or a gambler. He didn't have the helping sickness like Tommy, the only vice that the poor boy had was women and I think that helped him more than it ever hurt him. To be honest, at times his luck with the women helped all of us.**_

"What will it be Mac," Sean asked. He eyed her for a minute, his eyes shining. She was looking at the bottles of booze behind him and he already knew what she was going to pick and it only meant trouble for her later.

"Tequila please, and keep it coming," Makenzie said pushing the money she won across the bar's counter at Sean. He grabbed the money and quickly put it into the tip jar behind the counter before he went and grabbed her a half full bottle and a shot glass.

"Well someone's feeling dangerous tonight," Kevin said with a laugh, looking at her. She just shrugged her shoulders as she slammed her first shot. The alcohol burned as it went down her throat and she made a grimace. The bad taste never went away until after the forth shot, then she was set to keep going without the terrible face.

"Do you feel like being dangerous with me?" Makenzie asked Kevin as she waved the bottle at him and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Tequila makes me sick Mac, you know that."

"Alright then keep drinking your beer then, but you better hurry if your going to keep up with me."

"Okay," Kevin simply stated as he downed the rest of the beer and waited for his next one.

Tommy walked into the bar with Jimmy close on his heels. They had met up a little earlier to try and clear up a small mess that Jimmy had gotten himself into. Tommy knew that Jimmy could handle himself, but when Jimmy handled it, it always got dirty. The first thing Tommy noticed when he walked in was Makenzie over at the pool table trying to play a game with Kevin. Her red hair had come loose from its regular ponytail and was hanging down her back, just past her shoulders. She was wearing a black tank top with a pair of jeans she had rolled up to her knees because of the heat. Makenzie was trying to make a shot, but her body kept swaying with invisible waves. Tommy watched as she steadied herself and took the shot. It didn't go how she planned it, he was pretty sure of that. When she moved away from the table Tommy saw the 3/4 full bottle of Tequila sitting on the side of the pool table with a shot glass next to it. She had already started and it was only 10:30.

"So is Mac just getting started?" Tommy asked as he approached the bar. He leaned his arms on it for support. Sean shook his head and looked at his brother. Jimmy had just walked up to join the conversation, but his eyes were fixed on Makenzie as she took another quick shot.

"No that's the second bottle," Sean said.

"No shit," Jimmy asked, his eyebrows raising in alarm and surprise. She was going to regret that later.

"Yeah... well the first bottle was half empty, but by now it's like she's had a whole bottle to herself." Sean said.

"She drank it all by herself?" Tommy asked, panic clearly in his words.

"Yeah mostly, Joey had about two shots with her and that was it. I don't even know how she's still standing upright. She's been rocking for about an half hour now. Kevin tried to take it away, but we all know how far he got," Sean said pointing over at the two playing pool. Kevin had a nice red mark on his arm where she had punched him.

"At least it wasn't in the face this time," Tommy mumbled. Last time Kevin had tried to take her booze away, Makenzie got angry and clocked him a good one to the side of the face. Kevin had a bruise for almost two weeks.

"We should stop her," Jimmy said, scratching his stubble. He already knew that what they were about to do was going to be difficult because she would fight all the way upstairs.

"Okay you grab her and I'll get the bottle," Tommy said, pushing himself off of the counter.

"I grabbed her last time and she almost got me in the balls, plus she clawed the shit out of my arms. And I think I still have a mark from where she bit me," Jimmy wined. He really hated this part of looking out for her. When she got like that she always put up a fight and left a mark on one of the brothers. Jimmy heard Tommy let out an exasperated sigh before he finally said, "Fine."

Tommy and Jimmy slowly made their way to the pool table, hoping not to alarm Makenzie. Kevin caught Tommy's eyes and quickly started to walk away.

"Were you going?" Makenzie asked, eyeing him... well trying to.

"Just going to grab another beer. It's your turn anyway," Kevin said before he walked away quickly. Makenzie set up for the shot, but felt a pair of arms slip around her midsection. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Tommy there and she smiled. She didn't even notice Jimmy swipe away the bottle of Tequila.

"I knew someone was going to get frisky with me tonight," She said, trying to sound suggestive. Tommy didn't say anything he started to pull her away from the table.

"Hold on a..." Makenzie started, but stopped when she saw that her bottle was missing. She could feel the heat of anger rising and she quickly tried to get free. She knew what was going to happen next. She was going to get her ass dragged up into the bedroom upstairs, like she had on may different occasions; none of them having the outcome she was always lusting for.

"Let go of me Tommy," Makenzie said as calmly as she could. She spotted Jimmy walking up the stairs to open and close the door when Tommy finally dragged her up there.

"Come on Mac let's just go upstairs," Tommy said softly into her ear, which only poured fuel on her fire. She tried to pull away but he only held tighter so she started to kick her legs out, but that didn't work either.

"Dammit Tommy let go!" Makenzie screamed as he started to drag her up the stairs. She started to throw her arms around and her elbow connected with his eye right as he got her into the bedroom. Jimmy shut the door behind the two and quickly locked it. Tommy threw her down on the bed and let out a huff. His face was red from the struggle and his eye was watering.

"You guys really know how to ruin a girls night," She said cooly. Jimmy just laughed at her.

"Mac in about fifteen minutes you will be singing a different tune when your sick over that toilet in the bathroom and it's one of us who is taking care of your drunk ass," Jimmy stated. She just stared him down as she sat on the edge of the bed. Tommy pulled a chair in front of the door and sat down in it. Tommy wasn't even going to give her that chance to get down to the bar and get her bottle again.

"Whatever," Makenzie finally huffed.

_**Those incidents always sound worse than they really are. I mean, yeah okay I have a drinking problem, but doesn't everyone?**_


End file.
